Do not disturb

Transition dairy cows prefer to be secluded when giving birth. This was one of observations made by a team of scientists at the University of British Colombia. The team recently embarked on a study to gain insight into the behaviour of dairy cows during birth. Their goal of the research is to help farmers design an optimal maternity pen to cater for the needs of the transition cow.

Cows will typically leave the herd to find a secluded area to give birth; for example, an area of tall grass, or bushes with soft ground cover.

From these observations, the team hypothesised that housed cows are motivated to seek seclusion from herd mates (and other perceived threats), and will use a hide if given the choice. They constructed an indoor maternity pen and documented the behaviour of 17 transition cows before giving birth to determine their pretences in terms of privacy, bedding material and flooring. To read more about this click HERE.